A lot of my ideas come to me after I first wake up. I think that’s because my mind is fresh and hasn’t been clouded with the hundreds of events that goes on in a day. There isn’t anything urgent, the telephone isn’t ringing, and someone isn’t asking for attention. The atmosphere feels calm, still, peaceful, and the birds are chirping. But of course if an idea comes to me, that’s it, I have to get up and write it down.

Walking is another probable time when ideas come to me. The activity doesn’t require much thinking so my mind is free to wander. However, I don’t carry a note pad so once I get a good idea, I go over it again and again until I get home so as not to forget it. I then hurry to my computer and type it out.

Driving in the car is another good time to think of ideas, especially when being driven because then I can have my note pad in hand. And perhaps most of my ideas have come in this situation. Again being driven doesn’t require much thinking.

But looking a little deeper, and having actually just covered the “when I get my ideas”, I will try to relay the “how I get my ideas”. And for me, it’s all about making connections. Most of what I write in my stories has a connection to something I’ve experienced or seen in the past. I think of how those experiences can fit into my story and then embellish them to make them interesting or humorous.

Lastly, sometimes I get my ideas just by shear wild imagination. I let my mind go off on a tangent and then write down any idea that comes to me. Once I’ve gotten one idea that I like, I can build on that with other connecting ones – like a tree diagram. I think the key is to get that first idea down to start the momentum. Then chances are it will flow from there. I hope you have enjoyed this blog and incidentally I got this idea decompressing in my cast iron tub.